Flight
by Gazara12
Summary: Amnesia Recovery can have the effect of erasing the memories from the time where you'd forgotten. Will Blur be spared? Or will his friends be lost in the shadows of his memories?


**Return**

Lightning cracked through the sky, forking and twisting in his dizzying dance down the sky. The dark, forlorn clouds that looked down upon the vale cried tears of dust, and as the water came down the wind carried it to near horizontal levels, splattering it against the ground. The electricity fell to the ground, and struck the tallest thing in the area – a tree.

The tree was outlined in black and white for the briefest of moments, before erupting in to flame, orange and yellow consuming it in a ballad of hunger. The tendrils of fire licked at the bark, hungrily eating at it as it attempted in vain to sate his ravenous appetite. The sky was tinted with his colours as a portion of the tree collapsed, sending sparks up in to the air.

But even the crackling of the fire, the rumbling of thunder, and the pounding rain were incapable of muffling the scream that came from the depths of the old rowan tree – "Help!"

A small, blue bird struggled against a piece of bark that hard trapped his foot. He pulled mightily, but he simply could not move. Sweat rolled down his brow as he saw the fire getting closer and closer.

A short distance away, a hedgehog heard the cry, and turned her attention towards the burning tree. Squinting her eyes, she could just make out the little trapped blue bird. Her eyes widened, and the hedgehog rushed forward towards the fallen, flaming tree with the fullest intentions of saving the bird.

Back on the tree, the bird was shivering in fear, jerking his leg in a doomed attempt at freedom. As the heat licked closer, the bird's eyes widened in fear, and his irises contracted – and then returned to normal size as his face went oddly blank as he retreated from consciousness. Shadows clouded his vision.

The hedgehog had reached the tree, and rapidly climbed up to the top of the flaming log. Balancing precariously, she walked along the wood, making her way towards the still blue bird.

"Hold on!" she called, and broke in to a run. Buffeted by the rain, smoke pouring around her, the brave saviour finally reached her quarry just as the flames began to lick the wood next to the unconscious bird. She pulled on the wood that held his foot in place, and with a snap, it broke. She shook the bird, but he was out like a light.

Draping his wing over her shoulder, the hedgehog dragged him over to the edge of the wood, and leaped down. The dead weight made her land harder than she'd have liked, and she winced as a jolt of pain shot up her small legs. Stumbling out of the smog of smoke that had engulfed her, Lily cried "Help! Somebody help me!"

A short way away, a gray Korat sheltering from the rain gave a start.

**5 Years Later**

Blur awoke with a giant yawn, his beak widening as he exhaled. He closed his beak once more, blinked a couple of times, and fluttered off of Mike's bed to land on a nearby chair. Yawning once more, the blue bird walked across the chair, and turned around to stare at the still-snoring Mike.

"G'morning, Mike," he said, and Mike rolled over, and murmured something that sounded suspiciously like "No, no, get off of me, I'm takeeeeen…"

The blue bird snorted at the boy's antics, and then fluttered off of the chair, and made his way through the air to the stairs, and made his way downstairs to the ground floor, shooting down the stairs like a rocket. Pulling himself up level, Blur flapped his way in to the kitchen, and landed once more on a chair.

"Hi Mike's mom," he called to Michael's mother, who smiled slightly as she cooked an omelette over the stove, and rolled her eyes. When Blur had realized that "Mike's Mom" was alliterative, he had taken to calling her that whenever they met, a habit that she'd found amusing at the time, but was beginning to become vexing.

"Good morning, Blur," she sighed, picking up her spatula, and pushing underneath the eggs in the pan. "How're you this morning?"

"I'm good, thanks. Whatcha cookin'?"

"I'm making Mike an omelette for breakfast. Would you like some?"

Blur squinted suspiciously at the delicious looking brown-and-yellow meal that Michael's mother was proceeding to sprinkle salt on. Then he frowned, and said, "Aren't omelettes made of eggs?"

"Yes, so?"

"Wouldn't that be… I dunno, cannibalistic?"

"They don't have any chicks in them, Blur."

"Yeah, but it still feels weird. I'll go outside and get some worms or something."

Michael's mom nodded her permission, and Blur flew outside, soaring over the street below. A few houses away from Mike's house was a large park, and in it was a large oak tree standing on a hill, and below it, at the base of the hill, the burned out remnants of what had once been a proud rowan tree. The small blue bird fluttered down on a withered, blackened branch to stare forlornly at a knothole in to the hollow part of the tree. Some part of him seemed to be calling to it, and sadly, the little bird murmured, "Hello, home. Long time no see."

* * *

><p>Back at the house, Mike was lying peacefully in his bed when a loud <em>bring<em> noise woke him up, and he sat bolt upright, staring with wide eyes at the alarm clock that had just gone off. Then, comprehending what had happened, he groaned, and sank back on to his bed.

"Damn alarm clock," he muttered, and then, sighing, swung his legs over the edge of his bed, and, yawning, stood up. The grey cat grabbed his yellow-and orange scarf from its nearby hook, and wrapped it around his neck, even though it was the middle of August. Then, Mike made his way down the stairs substantially slower than Blur had, and entered the kitchen, where his mother had just finished the omelette, and had been about to go call him for breakfast.

"Oh, you're up!" his mother said, a surprised tone in her voice. "I made you some food, enjoy. There's an open jug of milk in the fridge if you want some."

Mike nodded absentmindedly, and picked up the knife and fork on either side of the plate, and cut up the meal, and stabbed a piece with the fork. However, halfway to his mouth, he stopped, and said, "Hang on – Mom, do you know where Blur is?"

"Hmm? Oh, he went out to get some breakfast, I think, since we're having eggs this morning."

"Oh alright," Mike said, and brought the piece of omelette in to his mouth. After a few minutes of eating, he raised his eyebrow, and said, "Wait, since when did Blur have a problem eating eggs?"

"I guess it's a new thing."

"I guess."

* * *

><p>Blur was on his way home from the park, soaring over the border between grey and green as he left the park and flew over the streets of Roseville. However, suddenly, looking down, he saw two animals hiding behind a bush, and he soared down towards them. His descent was rapid, and within a few seconds, he was hovering behind the two.<p>

"Hey there Yashy, hey Chirpy. 'Sup?"

The dastardly duo jumped, and Yashy turned accusingly, brandishing a stone menacingly, to face Blur.

"Look Chirpy!" she cried, "It's a wild Taillow!"

"Hey, I'm a Swellow!"

"Pfft, you wish!"

Blur laughed, and picked up a rock. "So, have you two seen any wild Pokémon?"

"We saw you, daddy!" chirped Chirpy, and Yashi blanched.

"Chirpy, how many times do I need to tell you – he's not your daddy!"

"He's my daddy!" the little pink bird chirped happily, and Yashi sighed.

"So, no other Pokémon?" Said Blur, trying to break the tension, "Guess we'll have to go look!"

"Yay!" Chirpy cried, and shot off carrying her stone, looking for a Pokémon to throw it out. Yashy glared at Blur for a moment, and then followed the little bird, leaving him bewildered. Shrugging, he took off with his rock, and followed them.

They re-entered the park, and as they made their way through a patch of especially thick reeds by the edge of a park, they thought they saw movement in the water, sending ripples across the surface as though something huge were lurking below the water's skin waiting to snap them up.

"It's a Gyrados!" yelled Yashi excitedly, and threw her rock as hard as she could in to the water at the movement. With a _sploosh_, it hit the pond, and brained the fish that had been dozing fitfully below the surface, killing it instantly. The fish thrashed in its dying throws, and rose to the surface, and the group saw what had happened.

"Aww," Yashi said as the fish sank to its watery grave, "It was just a Magikarp."

"Maybe we'll catch something more useful if we head further along," suggested Blur, and the group continued along the shore of the pond.

* * *

><p>Mike finished his breakfast, and put the dishes in the sink. He then yawned again, and said, "I'm gonna go out and find Blur. See you later, Mom."<p>

"Bye, honey!"

Mike went out of the door, and began down the street. He had a fairly good idea of where Blur had gone, and as he approached the park, he decided that finding Blur could wait – he was exhausted, and wanted a bit more sleep. The Korat made his way up the hill to the oak tree, and sat down with his back to its strong, ancient wood. It felt comfortable to his back, and as he lay back and stared at the sky, he felt his eyes begin to droop, and slowly, he began to doze off.

As he fell asleep, his arm fell out of its position on his leg, and landed on the grass, sending a small tremor down his arm. He sniffled slightly, and then, eyes still closed, lay down, curled up, and slept.

* * *

><p>They'd found a frog.<p>

"It's a Politoad!" Yashi declared, and threw another rock at it. Luckily, this time the rock missed, and the startled frog gave an angry _ribbit_ at them before leaping in to the pond, and swimming away from the trio hurriedly in order to avoid a deadly braining.

"Awww, it got away!" Blur teased, but Yashi just grunted, and stalked away. Chirpy fluttered up next to Blur, and said, "Daddy, why's mommy so annoyed?"

"I dunno, Chirpy, maybe it's just her time of month."

"Her what?"

Blur realized that he did _not_ want to be having this conversation with Chirpy at this time, and said merely, "Nevermind. Why don't you go ask her why she's so annoyed?"

"Hey, I see something!" Yashy called from up ahead, and the two birds caught up to her.

"What do you see?" Blur enquired, and Yashy gestured towards the top of the hill, where a dark shape was curled up at the base of the giant oak tree that grew there. Blur started when he realized that he recognized the area, and glanced guiltily at the burned wreckage that had once been his home – it was just visible over the side of the hill.

"I see a wild Flea," smirked Yashy, reaching for another rock.

"Actually," Chirpy squeaked, "I think it's a Slaking!"

Yashy and Blur looked at each other, looked at Chirpy, and then back at each other. Then Blur grinned, and said, "Then I shall do battle with this Slaking, because it ate my eggs!"

"…Blur, you're a guy. You don't have eggs."

"Oh shut up. Watch me battle!"

Blur took to the air, and soared at Mike. Landing in front of him, he said loudly, "Slaking, I challenge you to a Pokémon battle!"

"Huuuuh?"

Mike blinked sleep out of his eyes as the small blue bird stood over him proudly, ready for the ultimate, epic, un-repeatable Pokémon battle that was sure to ensue between the 'Swellow' and the 'Slaking'.

"Blur, what are you doing?"

"No, shh, I'm a Swellow and you're a Slaking! We're doing battle so that we can capture you!"

"Get him, Taillow!" yelled Yashy, and Blur glared at her.

"I'm a Swellow, damn it! Not a Taillow!"

"Nope, you're definitely a Taillow."

Blur growled, and then fluttered on to Mike's head. He perched there, and bent over to stare in to Mike's eyes, unblinkingly. Mike raised an eyebrow, and then shook his head in order to get the little blue bird off of him. Blur, however, had a death grip on his head, and stayed on.

"Hah! I've got this Slaking in critical condition!"

"Then I'll catch it!" Called Yashi.

"No, wait, Yashy, do-"

But it was too late. Yashy had already scooped up a stone from by the pond, and had chucked it at Mike. It spun through the air, in a sort of spiralling motion, and for Blur, time seemed to slow down. The river stone reached the peak of its flight, and began to descend. Blur saw it getting closer and closer, and he flinched a second before it struck.

With a resounding crunch Blur was sent flying as the stone hit him in the forehead. He landed in the grass a short distance away, and didn't move. Mike turned in horror, and scrambled over to the small blue bird. He wasn't moving, and his breath was shallow. A small trail of blood ran from where the stone had struck him, and his eyes were closed.

Mike scooped him up, and not even stopping to look at Yashy, ran as fast as he could back to his house.

* * *

><p>In Blur's mind, all was dark. Blur felt as if he were floating in some kind of icky black substance that had the consistency of oil, and stuck to his feathers in strings whenever he moved. Feeling distinctly frightened, the small blue bird tried to move, and a shock of pain ran through his body.<p>

Blur frowned, and tried again.

Suddenly, a fire lit in front of him, and began to cast its light, and Blur could see that what surrounded him wasn't a liquid of any sort – it was a sickly yellow and grey smoke. Beads of oil hung in it, and Blur instinctively shied away from it. However, he could feel the fire, and he knew that it was there to aid him. Concentrating, he could feel the fire expanding, feeding upon the evil smoke. Soon, the fire had spread around him, and was consuming everything.

Blur should have been scared. In fact, he should have been downright terrified – he was surrounded by fire, surrounded by smoke and heat, and once again _he couldn't move._ There should have been a deep-seated fear rising in his breast, but in its place was just calm – calm and determination. For some reason, he knew that whatever the fog enshrouded was important to him, was vital to know. So he pushed harder.

Then, suddenly it was gone, and Blur gazed upon a beautiful string of pictures that stretched on as far as the eye could see. The small blue bird squinted, and then his eyes widened, and he slowly grinned. It was all clear to him now - everything. It all made sense.

_So that's the truth,_ he thought. _Finally._

* * *

><p>Blur was wrapped in a blanket in a small basket-bed in the veterinary clinic. Mike sat in a chair outside the office, looking worried. Finally the secretary ushered him in, and he came in to find Blur asleep, and the doctor sitting at his computer, a puzzled look on his face.<p>

"Your pet should be alright," the doctor said, glancing at Mike. "He's asleep; you can take him home later on in the afternoon. There was no major damage, just a mild concussion – he's very lucky. However, I have a question for you. About… oh, twenty minutes ago, there was a spike in his brain activities. Does he have any kind of mental issues, or…"

"He has amnesia," Said Mike tentatively, raising an eyebrow and wondering why the issue was relevant.

"Well, occasionally, albeit rarely, a head trauma caused by a physical injury is put right by another. Most of the time it just causes more damage though. We don't really understand how it works. You may find that your pet may have regained his memories."

Mike's eyes widened, and he seemed shocked. "Will he still have his memories from during his amnesia?"

"I don't know. He may or he may not. We'll have to see. If you want you can wait outside, and I'll call you in when he wakes up."

Mike nodded wordlessly, and backed out of the room. He collapsed in a chair in the waiting room, and stared blankly at the wall. Thoughts ran through his head of his times with Blur – when he'd found him, when he and Yashi had assigned everyone Pokémon names, the Christmas party…

All infected with the undercurrent that was brought by the all-pervasive thought that dominated his mind – _Blur might forget me?_

* * *

><p>Lucy pushed in to the clinic an hour later with Yashy and Chirpy on her shoulders. Yashy had tears running down her cheeks, and incredibly rare sight, while Chirpy just looked worried. Lucy had the same expression on her face as Chirpy, but she kept it far better hidden, and sat down next to Mike.<p>

"Well?" She said, "How is he?"

"He'll live," said Mike neutrally, not turning to look at Lucy, his eyebrows arched together. "No brain injuries, just a concussion. He's lucky that Yashy's a bad shot."

Yashy was too upset to respond to the obvious bait, and so just sat there looking away from Mike, tears streaming down her face silently. Lucy glared at Mike, but made no comment. Mike subconsciously appreciated that, though consciously he was too upset to notice.

Suddenly, the door opened, and the vet glanced out. Spotting Mike and Lucy, he nodded, and said, "If you want to come in, he's waking up."

Lucy stood up, Yashy and Chirpy clinging on. Mike hesitated a second, and then stood, and followed her in to the veterinarian's office. The sight of Blur lying in the bed brought a lump to his throat, and he looked away. The small blue bird shifted, and then slowly, he sat up.

"Blur!" shrieked Yashi, and leaped down on to the table, and ran over to her best friend. Blur stared at the – as it appeared to him anyways – distorted green blob as it approached him, and then, staring at it with blurry, red eyes, he said, "…Blur?"

"Blur…?" Yashi said, stopping, staring at her friend with a look that was a mix between astonishment and horror. "Blur, did you-"

Blur looked down at the table, squinting. Things began to come back in to focus, and he stared at the small green animal. Then he tilted his head to one side and said, "My name isn't Blur. It's Vol."

Yashy stared at him for a moment, and then turned to Mike slowly, and said, at an equally slow speed, "…What?"

"The blow cured him of his amnesia," Mike said unhappily, staring at the blue bird with tears forming in the corner of his eyes. "The vet said that he's not sure if he'll remember anything from after he got it…"

Yashi turned back to her friend, horror on her face and the small blue bird stared at her for a moment, and then seemed to realize something. He shakily got to his feet, and stumbled over to her. He stared at her for a moment, and then said in an uneven voice, "Vol's French for flight, I think. I like the sound of Blur better though – rolls off the tongue better."

Yashi broke in to tears again, and sat down, staring at her friend through a watery skin over her eyes. In her mind, her friend was gone, replaced by this dark stranger who she'd never met. The blue bird stared at her for a minute, and then, shaking his head, he muttered 'Ow…' under his breath, and sat down as well.

"What's wrong?" Mike asked the blue bird, and he looked up at the Korat with a puzzled face.

"My head is pounding… It's like I…"

The blue bird never got to finish his sentence, for suddenly his eyes widened, and his pupils dilated. Then he slammed his eyelids shut, and hissed, "Geez, my head."

A few minutes later, he opened them again, and stared at the scene around him. Mike had tears running down his face, Lucy was staring at him stone-faced, Chirpy was sniffling as well, and Yashi was bawling. Some light seemed to flick on in his brain, and he blinked. Then he got up, walked over to crying Yashi, and looked down at her. He squinted his eyes at her, and then finally, he broke in to a grin.

"Geez, Yashi, you'd make the worst Rayquaza ever. "


End file.
